While there’s a lot happening in Florida this week, feeling an earthquake was not on our bingo card. Approximately 101 miles east of Cape Canaveral, the U.S. Geological Survey reported a 4.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 10:48 p.m. Wednesday. This type of quake can be felt, but usually causes minor to no damage. And data shows that it had a depth of about six miles below the seafloor, making it very shallow.
The impact was felt by Space Coast residents, mainly in Melbourne, Palm Bay, Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach. According to the USGS’ Community Internet Intensity Map, more than 40 people said they felt “weak” or “light” shaking, but no one experienced any damage.
The earthquake hit hours before the launch of NASA’s PACE mission, which launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Force Station at 1:33 a.m.
Wondering how often Florida has felt earthquakes? There have been more than 20 quakes reported in Florida since 1992. One of the more recent and notable ones was a 2006 quake in the Gulf of Mexico that measured a magnitude of 5.9, which sent rumbles all the way to the Sunshine State.